Installing window quilts is one of the simplest, easiest ways to save on energy costs. It’s right up there with caulking, weather stripping and adding extra roof insulation in terms of rapid payback. Window quilts would probably pay for themselves in just one or two seasons. With something so simple and obvious you’d think more … Read more
Many readers want to build their earthbag home where they can grow their own food, raise some kids and animals, and have fresh air and clean water. Having a little place in the country is perfect for this lifestyle. Living like this takes a lot of effort and know-how. That’s why it’s helpful to have … Read more
Hello Owen. Just wanted to share with you my plan: Next year, I will build a large roundhouse in Hungary with raschel mesh tubes. I’ve got 7km of UV-stabilized raschel mesh from a Czech company called Juta. Since there are no volcanic rocks in Hungary, I might go with Ex-clay [expanded clay aggregates] for insulation. … Read more
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gzs-DHau37M Andrew, one of our readers, suggested a blog post about small stoves for all those planning small earthbag homes. This is a great idea because earthbag buildings are highly efficient and so in many cases all you need is a small stove. The emphasis here is on small, low cost, do-it-yourself wood stoves that … Read more
Yesterday’s blog post about a built-in mass heater was popular. Caleb, one of our readers, reminded us of hypocausts – underfloor heating systems — that have been used for centuries. Even if you’ve read about this before, it pays to go back and reread this type of information from time to time. For instance, I … Read more
Luke, the reader who’s doing our Facebook fan page, sent me this amazing story. It’s all in Russian and I haven’t translated it yet. They built a mass heater/fireplace into the earthbag wall. The thick earthbag wall is the mass. Rough translation of a few snippets: Earthbag house with a brick oven in the suburbs. … Read more